In the past ten years, self-balancing vehicles have exploded in popularity. These vehicles sense slight forward and rearward pressure on a foot pad, indicating a rider's forward or rearward lean, and then rotate one or two wheels in response, thereby moving the vehicle and its rider forward or backward.
Self-balancing vehicles are compact; they are little more than two opposed, rugged wheels and a span of body between them. The body typically houses a battery, sensors, controllers, processors, speakers, and other electronic components. Nevertheless, reducing the size and weight of the body is always desirable.